BOB MORANE: RECORDS

Bob Morane Week continues with a look at vintage recordings. Henri Vernes' pulp action (and sometimes spy) hero saw great longevity as a franchise in Europe. Created the same year as James Bond, Morane shared 007's popularity, particularly in the juvenile market, as a star of novels, comics, live-action, animation, and toys. With over 200 books published, it's not surprising that some of them were adapted as story albums. Spy Vibers must remember those great Power Records in the United States from the 1970s, and even James Bond's appearance on Kids Stuff Records in the 1980s. Well, young armchair adventurers in France started listening to Bob Morane stories on vinyl in the 1960s.

At least eight records were put out in the original run, jumping from the RCA and Fontana labels to Phillips. A number of old recordings were also reissued with additional stories in the 1990s and 2000s on CD by Big Beat Records. Like many properties, the foundation of the series rested on the continuity of familiar voices. Morane was performed by Jacques Beretti for the first five albums, later being replaced by Claude Titre and Jean Berger. Morane's secret service pal, Bill Ballantine, was voiced by Bill Kearns for the entire series. The tales encompassed most of Morane's area, offering Cold War intrigue and jungle action (no dinosaurs on record?). As you can see in the earliest covers, the record companies relied on original Marabout book designs to promote each release. The series also found cohesion under a cool Jet-Age logo in duotone complete with a modern aircraft soaring above a dynamic sky trail.

Spy Vibers should check their regional Audible websites for available recordings (with audio samples!) for download. Examples can be heard at Amazon UK, Amazon France. The world of Morane was also celebrated by New Wave band Indochine in 1982 with a pop hit, L'Aventurier. Bob Morane series so far: Intro, Comics, Toys. Pilote Magazine. Cover images from Bob Morane BE site here. You can also learn more at Web Bob Morane here. Spy Vibe's Bob Morane series: Intro, Comics, Toys, Pilote Magazine, Records, Screen. Enjoy!

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